New Boys & Girls Club sought for W. Price Hill

Raven Lumpkin (left) and Lamylia Lynch play a game together at the Boys and Girls Club in Price Hill. The club is moving to a larger facility four times its size on Glenway Avenue.(Photo: Enquirer file)Buy Photo

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Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Cincinnati officials want the new facility to be open in summer 2015.

The new center in West Price Hill would be located in the 4100 block of Glenway Avenue.

Fundraising has to be complete and zoning and project approvals are needed before construction.

The Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Cincinnati is quietly raising money to build a new, larger space in West Price Hill – helping prepare youth for strong futures while also playing a critical economic development role.

The nonprofit envisions a new club on Glenway Avenue will replace underutilized real estate and reduce blight along the important West Wide artery. It also could pave the way for additional development there.

"We're confident the funding will be in place," President Brent Seelmeyer said. "This is a facility we'd anticipate opening in summer 2015."

Finding money to develop a new club would be a great birthday gift for the organization that's celebrating its 75th anniversary this year.

The $4 million project calls for moving into the 4100 block of Glenway Avenue, about two miles west from its current Glenway address. The new building would be about 18,000 square feet, or four times larger than the former church building the club now occupies. The new center is also a short walk from Elder and Seton high schools, Carson Elementary School and several others.

Crystal Allen, director of the James J. Espy Boys and Girls Club in Lower Price Hill, joked that the new gym may be as large as the entire club now.

After 67 years in the building, leaders say it's time for a change. The center sits on a small lot along a narrow sidewalk with little room for outdoor activities. There's no dedicated parking, and parents often park on Glenway and make a white-knuckle trip across the street to pick up children. The gym, dining area and activity rooms are too small to accommodate large groups of children at the same time.

But Allen said the biggest issue is having to turn down children from programs because of a lack of space. She said the club serves as the neighborhood's heartbeat and provides a safe place to nurture a wide range of youth.

Raven Lumpkin, 15, of Lower Price Hill is excited about a new club location. On a recent day, she and a friend played a wiffle ball-type, table game against two other children. After spending more than a year visiting the club regularly, she said the club has helped her work better with others and take instruction from supervisors.

"My goal is to stay at the club until I can't any more," Raven said. "I like being around here."

The club serves about 75 kids each day, many of whom get their only quality meals at the center, Allen said. She said she takes pride in helping provide a safe place for students to play, learn and make new friends.

"It gives you hope that you're making a difference," Allen said. "Our kids see so much crime, and you hear a lot about negative things kids are doing, but I'm hopeful for this generation."

Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley is one of the project's biggest supporters. He said the new club would help clean up the Glenway corridor and provide hope for children who need it. Cranley spent three years forging connections with children at the club while part of the Big Brothers program at St. Xavier High School.

"Blessed with great architecture, parks, proximity to Downtown and active citizens, the West Side is uniquely positioned to offer affordable quality housing for the middle class as the interest to move closer to to the city center continues to grow," Cranley said.

Price Will Hill Executive Director Ken Smith said the group he leads is working with Xavier University's Community Building Institute and the city to do a neighborhood plan for West Price Hill. Part of that plan will help determine what people envision for Glenway and the neighborhood at large.

Seelmeyer said the nonprofit has commitments from landowners including the city to buy the properties on the future club site. It is waiting for a change in zoning, final funding commitments in place and final city approvals to move forward on the project. The site would require demolition of some properties and some new construction.

A report on rezoning properties for the Boys and Girls Club is expected to be discussed at Friday's Cincinnati Planning Commission meeting.

Ideally, the club would open in time for the Major League Baseball All-Star Game that Cincinnati will host next summer. Boys and Girls Clubs of America is MLB's official charitable partner, and the project could gain a higher profile if it's shown before a large national audience.

The nonprofit has requested project support as part of the Cincinnati Reds' proposal for MLB All-Star Legacy funds. The league makes charitable contributions in the game's host city to projects that could improve the community.

"With the All-Star Game coming to Cincinnati, it presents a very unique opportunity for our city and our kids," Seelmeyer said.

The Cincinnati-based nonprofit is among the country's largest metropolitan Boys and Girls Clubs, Seelmeyer said. It operates 12 centers in Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky and serves about 7,000 kids annually.

Seelmeyer said in 2010, the nonprofit adopted the "Graduate, Fit For Life, Ready To Serve" model so the group could be more than the "swim and gym" of years past.

At the clubs, children commit to doing at least 45 minutes of academic work and physical activity. Children are also expected to perform volunteer work. Last year, Seelmeyer said children contributed 16,000 hours of community service in the region.

Boosting education opportunities – especially over the summer when schools are out – can help tackle significant problems such as third-grade reading test scores. At least one certified teacher is employed at each site.

"It's truly about giving young people the skills necessary to be fully productive citizens and really achieve their potential," Seelmeyer said. "We want our kids to grow up and be healthy, happy, successful. Really, the bottom line is we believe all young people have the potential to succeed no matter what their zip code may be."